Sun September 1st Open 11 AM–5 PM
b. Kingston, Jamaica
Lives and works in Oakland
June Grant is the founder and design principal at blinkLAB architecture, an environmentally conscious and social justice oriented design studio in Oakland.
Originally designed to be a physical banner that would play to the ceiling heights of YBCA’s galleries, June created a 3-D model of the work in SketchPad for digital exploration.
For WE SEE OURSELVES, Grant conducted a visual survey of Oakland’s 14th Street, International Boulevard using available Census data. She combines architectural representation techniques such as plans, sections, and elevations with images of everyday people on the boulevard to create an all-encompassing map of the neighborhood.
WE SEE OURSELVES, 2020
Printed fabric (physical form), SketchPad software (digital form)
Courtesy the artist
Move your mouse over the numbers to reveal annotations about different parts of the neighborhood and discover how Census data has informed this project.
This piece is heavily influenced by two albums, Love and Revolution and Oakland Riviera, by the Oakland musician Kev Choice. Tap the box in the top-middle of the screen to play selections of the album while you explore the work.
Grant’s map makes visible the experience of both absence and presence in defining community. More than just a location, a neighborhood is made up of those who care for it. Her map reveals the impossibility of fully understanding a place without understanding its people.
Join us as we continue to advocate for the health and strength of our communities by highlighting the urgent, long-term impact of the 2020 Census, in partnership with Art+Action, our local arts community and San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA).
WE SEE OURSELVES is part of Come to Your Census: Who Counts in America?, an art and civic experience intended to drive awareness and mobilize the diverse communities of the Bay Area around the urgent, long-term impact of the 2020 US Census.
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